The Seeker is searching for ways to improve the comfort of an airless camping mattress. Submissions may include new designs and/or new materials for the internal structural components of the mattress.

This Theoretical Challenge requires only a written proposal.

Overview

A comfortable bed is an essential part of any satisfactory sleep experience. While at home, consumers have an almost infinite variety of mattress options available, but when out camping those options dwindle significantly. Airbeds are the most common camping mattress on the market but they do have their drawbacks, the most significant of which is they leak! Whether it is due to a defect in material or workmanship, or a puncture suffered in use or in storage, a leak renders an airbed useless and uncomfortable. It is for this reason the Seeker started developing an airless camping mattress several years ago. The Seeker has explored several concepts, designs, and materials for an airless mattress and while they have shown great progress they are still a bit short of where they want to be comfort-wise for the mattress. Thus, the Seeker is searching for ways to improve the design and/or materials for their airless camping mattress in order to increase the comfort level experienced by the user.

This is a Theoretical Challenge that requires only a written proposal to be submitted. The Challenge award will be contingent upon theoretical evaluation of the proposal by the Seeker.

To receive an award, the Solvers will have to transfer to the Seeker their exclusive Intellectual Property (IP) rights to the solution.

Submissions to this Challenge must be received by 11:59 PM (US Eastern Time) on April 4, 2019

Late submissions will not be considered.

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What is InnoCentive?

InnoCentive is the global innovation marketplace where creative minds solve some of the world's most important problems for cash awards up to $1 million. Commercial, governmental and humanitarian organizations engage with InnoCentive to solve problems that can impact humankind in areas ranging from the environment to medical advancements.

What is a Theoretical IP Transfer Challenge?

An InnoCentive Theoretical Challenge builds upon an idea but is not yet a proof of concept. A solution to a Theoretical Challenge will solidify the Solver's concept with detailed descriptions, specifications and requirements necessary to bringing a good idea closer to becoming an actual product or service.

This Challenge is a Theoretical-IP Transfer Challenge, meaning that Solvers must relinquish all rights to the Intellectual Property (IP) for which they are awarded. By contrast, Theoretical-Licensing means that the Seeker is requesting non-exclusive rights to use the winning solution. For these forms of a Theoretical Challenge, Solvers that do not win retain the rights to their solution after the evaluation period is complete. The Seeker retains no rights to any IP not awarded.